FEATURE STORIES
The NIAMS Seeks Summer Interns
The summer program at the NIAMS provides an opportunity for students to spend a summer working side by side with some of the world's leading scientists, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. Outstanding opportunities exist for high school, undergraduate, graduate and medical students contemplating a career in biomedical research or academic medicine. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2012.
Image: NIAMS Summer 2011 Interns
Juvenile Arthritis Patients Meet NIAMS Researchers
Armed with test tubes, strawberries and cheek swabs, about 30 juvenile arthritis patients and their family members conducted hands-on experiments alongside NIAMS researchers during a recent visit to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Campus.
Image: Juvenile arthritis patients visit NIAMS
MULTICULTURAL NEWS & EVENTS
Diversifying the NIH Biomedical Research Workforce
The Advisory Committee to the NIH Director (ACD) Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce has issued a Request for Information seeking comments to “help inform the development of recommendations to present to the ACD and the NIH Director on actions the NIH can take to increase the diversity of the biomedical research workforce.” The Working Group has identified a number of specific issues on which it is seeking input. Comments are due by February 24, 2012.
NIAMS 25th Anniversary Video Now Available Online
The NIAMS celebrated its 25th anniversary on June 13, 2011 with a scientific symposium, “Improving Lives Through Discovery,” at the NIH Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Video of the symposium is now available online and contains the presentations and panel discussions of the day’s featured speakers, as well as patients, scientists and clinicians from across the NIAMS community who came together for the special day.
The NIAMS Website Gets a Facelift!
You may have noticed that the NIAMS website looks a little different. In December 2011, the NIAMS website was refreshed with a new layout and color scheme. New features include a prominent rotator window for highlights of the Institute’s announcements, as well as more prominent links to pages about research that the NIAMS is conducting and funding. Also, the multimedia and social media options are easier to find.
Image: The New NIAMS Website
NIAMS Expert Discusses Lupus
Mark Gourley, M.D., Director of the NIAMS Community Research and Care Branch, was featured in an article on lupus in the November 2011 issue of NIH News in Health. Lupus is a disease that can affect many parts of the body, including the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels and brain. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, painful or swollen joints (arthritis), unexplained fever, skin rashes and kidney problems.
USA Science & Engineering Festival Returns to Washington, DC
Building on the success of the inaugural festival in 2010, the second USA Science & Engineering Festival will inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers with school programs and nationwide contests throughout the 2011–2012 school year and a finale Expo in Washington, DC, on April 28–29, 2012. The Expo will give hundreds of science and engineering organizations from all over the United States, including the NIH, the opportunity to present hands-on, fun science activities. The event will be free and open to the public. For more information, visit usasciencefestival.org.
Image: Dr. Mark Gourley
FEATURED RESOURCES
Be Active Your Way: New Fact Sheets for Hispanic Adults
In an effort to help Spanish-speaking communities stay active and be healthy, www.health.gov is sharing two new Spanish-language resources based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The two new guides are:
- Manténgase activo a su manera: información para adultos (Be Active Your Way: A Fact Sheet for Adults)
- Manténgase activo a su manera: guía para adultos (Be Active Your Way: A Guide for Adults)
MedlinePlus en Español Now on Twitter
The National Library of Medicine is excited to announce a new Twitter feed from MedlinePlus en Español. Follow @MedlinePlusEsp for trusted health information in Spanish. Stay up to date on the latest health news, health observances, seasonal health issues and healthy living tips.
Actionable Health Information for Spanish-Speaking Communities
Check out healthfinder.gov en español! Based on the English-language version, healthfinder.gov en español offers personalized and actionable health information presented in an easy-to-read format. Additional features available at healthfinder.gov en español include “Recursos de salud” (“Health Resources”), “Noticias de salud” (“Health News”) and “Busca una clinica cerca de ti” (“Find a Health Center near You”).
New Spanish-Language Health Care Tips for Patients
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recently posted two brochures in Spanish that give tips to use before, during and after a medical appointment to make sure patients get the best possible care.
The new brochures are:
- Participe más en su atención médica: Consejos para pacientes (Be More Involved in Your Health Care: Tips for Patients)
- Preguntas para mi cita médica (My Questions for This Visit)
New Website Offers Resources on Cultural Competency
Check out the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health’s enhanced cultural competency web portal, a one-stop shop for all cultural competency resources and training opportunities.
DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that atopic dermatitis, often referred to as “eczema,” is a long-lasting disease that affects the skin and seems to result from a combination of hereditary and environmental factors? People who live in cities and in dry climates appear more likely to develop this condition. Visit atopic dermatitis for more information.
HEALTH PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM UPDATE
NIAMS Community Health Center Marks 10th Anniversary
The NIAMS recently marked the 10th anniversary of its Community Health Center (CHC) in a festive and inspiring celebration in its new location, the Cardinal McCarrick Center of the Spanish Catholic Center of Catholic Charities in Silver Spring, Maryland.
In recognition of the CHC’s accomplishments, NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., gave the keynote address, followed by a lineup of wonderful speakers that included a CHC patient.
Image: CHC Staff at the 10th Anniversary Celebration
Meet Sarthak Gupta, New CHC Fellow
Sarthak Gupta, M.D., is a first-year clinical fellow with the NIAMS 2011–2012 Rheumatology Fellowship Program class. This NIAMS program allows students who choose to pursue an academic medical career in rheumatology to obtain hands-on experience through clinical rotations and research activities. Applicants must have completed 2 or more years of Internal Medicine residency training in order to apply to the program.
“I believe that the integration of clinical and laboratory research is of utmost importance to improve patient care and increase the available therapeutic options, and the NIH helps achieve that,” said Dr. Gupta.
Dr. Gupta attended school in Delhi, India, and earned his medical degree from Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh, India, in 2007. He completed his Internal Medicine residency at State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, New York, in 2011, and worked there with a mouse model of Sjögren's syndrome to try to identify new autoantibodies.
He was active in the American College of Physicians and the New York branch of the American College of Physicians, including presenting posters at the national level. Dr. Gupta also published articles in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment about his work with patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis.
Image: Dr. Sarthak Gupta
WHERE IS NIAMS?
The NIAMS exhibit will be traveling to several events in 2015. See the schedule of health fairs and exhibits.
The NIAMS can provide health information or staff to help make your community event or health fair successful. Please contact Sara Rosario Wilson by email,srosario@mail.nih.gov ,for more information.
Image: the NIAMS Exhibit